


An Au's Au

by GachMoBrea



Series: Changing Things Up [2]
Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: AU, Another Alternate, Bonds, Drugs, Electrocution, Forced Drug Use, Homophobic References Sort Of, How About This?, I don't know., Messing with the Mind, Multi, Other Rude References, Out of Character, References of Child Abuse, Rescue, Russians, Snart Snark, alternate univers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-06
Updated: 2016-06-06
Packaged: 2018-07-12 14:03:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7108144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GachMoBrea/pseuds/GachMoBrea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An Alternate Take on a Chapter for an Alternate Universe. (It's less complicated than it sounds.)</p><p>The Challenge:<br/>""TheValdezTARDIS  on Chapter 4 - Aww! I wanted you to pull an AU and have Snart kidnapped by Russians for his super bond...""</p><p>Episodes: "White Knights" (Ep 4)  &  "Fail-Safe" (Ep 5)</p>
            </blockquote>





	An Au's Au

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TheValdezTARDIS](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheValdezTARDIS/gifts).



> Starts off in the hostage situation from the Original Chapter. Then changes.
> 
> Note: I fought with myself over what to do with this. The jury decided to make this an actual Double-AU. In this version Snart can actually Bond with people. They can feel it, but they can also reject it. 
> 
> *I don't own anything...*

"Turn the core back online."  
Raymond stands, his concerned face coming into view even from their distance. Snart wants to shout at him to let him know how this is all Raymond's fault!  
"You will turn it back on, or I will put a bullet in your friend's head."  
"Don't you dare. She's going to shoot me whether you do it or not." Or she might not, because her finger keeps brushing against his neck and their Bond is growing. If he can just relax enough for them to connect, she won't be able to go through with the threat.  
Unfortunately, there's no way for Boy Scout to know that.  
"That may be true. And you can take that gamble if you like. It's only his life you wager."  
Come on Raymond, for once do the smart thing not the noble thing. Stein says he's almost there over the comms so they just have to play this game of chicken for a few more seconds.  
"I'm not joking, Raymond," Snart tries to intimidate the man who's showing all signs of making the wrong choice, "Don't you dare push that button."

Mr. Bright Eyes' hand is still going towards the control panel. His fingers are mere centimeters away...Time for another tactic.  
"You promised," Snart whispers, calm and cold.  
He stares down the other man and a miracle happens.

Raymond actually listens.

The Boy Scout pulls his hand away from the control board as if he were burned.  
He runs.

Vostok is shouting curses and demanding for him to return, but Raymond keeps running. He makes it to Professor Stein as the man exits with the core safely in the case. Together they make a run for the exit.  
Then a Shattered-Bond creeps up near them and Snart smiles right before his partner shouts, "Is this where the party's at?"  
The Russain turns Snart, still being held at gunpoint, toward the newcomer. She digs the weapon into his throat and it nearly chokes him.  
A stand-off with a hot-head crook and a cold-hearted comi? Not a good mix. Plus, Snart had to make sure the others got that core back to the ship.  
"Get them outta here, Mick!" Snart orders his partner. He can get himself out of this.  
"Don't you dare!" Valentina counters the order, and Mick pauses. He stares at Snart as he picks up the Cold Gun, worried and unsure of what to do.  
Do what I told you, of course.  
"Put that down!" Valentina shouts at him, tightening her grip on Snart's shoulder. He's not about to let the woman who's somehow ignoring their Bond to order his partner around.  
"Hurry up, they won't make it outta here alone!" Snart growls at him, sharp eyes demanding the other man to listen. He reaches to him with their Bond to assure him its the right thing to do.  
"I will shoot him!" the woman is screaming, desperate.  
Mick scowls, sparing Snart one more look as if to make absolutely certain, then turns and runs for it. He shows up just in time to land an especially brutal punch to one of the guards with Snart's gun.  
He better not break the weapon.  
The two scientists are practically escorted out of the building before reinforcements can stop them.

 

"Too bad," Snart drawls, smiling at the angry faces in the control room. "And your plan was going so well."  
Valentina pulls the gun away from his throat, only to bash him in the back of the head with it a second later. Snart's out cold before he hits the ground.

 

Snart wakes up in stages.  
First, he realizes his head hurts. There are Bonds nearby, swarming around him, but he can't quite focus on them yet.  
Second, he can feel his body sprawled out on the ground. The ground is cold and hard under him, so he's obviously in a building.  
Nausea hits him like a blow and he breathes through it. Slowly, he opens his eyes. He isn't surprised to finds himself inside a small prison cell. There's a distinct absence of weight on his leg, so they have his gun.  
Right, Vostok had taken it before holding him hostage and hitting him. How had she held back so easily? What went wrong with the Infinite-Bond?  
"I believe the saying goes, better to have something than nothing?" Savage's voice, along with his egotistic Shattered-Bond, is coming from his right. Snart turns his head carefully to the side, feeling the dried blood as he moves. The enemy Rip Hunter has them after is standing outside Snart's cell with an all too excited look on his face.  
"Actually it's "something is better than nothing" but you were close," Snart doesn't try sitting up just yet. His stomach is still threatening to empty itself if he isn't careful.  
"Right, of course," Savage smiles pleasantly, as if he were talking to a friend instead of a captive, "How are you feeling?"  
"Peachy," Snart deadpans, a flash of memory tugging in the back of his brain.  
"The knot on the back of your head says otherwise," Savage tilts his head, "I'm going to give you a few more minutes to get passed the concussion before we talk."  
How nice of you. Good to know super villains had manners.  
"Talk about what?" Snart pulls himself up to one elbow, his stomach rolling with the movement. The maniac glee from his captor isn't helping.  
"Talk about your new friends, of course!" Savage clasps his hands together excitedly, "Your mission. Your ship. Your Bond even!"  
That last one ices something in Snart's chest. Did the maniac know?  
He couldn't. He was only fishing.  
"Must I?" he's done with this conversation. At this point, he's done with this whole mission. He's ready for Kendra to step up behind the man in front of him and drive him through with that dagger.  
"I suppose not." Savage continues, ignoring Snart's ire, "I just find it less tedious if the information comes out naturally."  
There's a plethora of remarks to go with that, but Snart's head chooses that moment to start pounding harder, causing his nausea to increase in kind.  
Savage doesn't seem bothered by the lack of retort, though. He's already left. Two Bonded guards remain outside the cage-like cell. As if Snart can make a break for it.  
He idly wonders if Mick is planning on charging the place, guns blazing.  
Hopefully Captain Conspicuous can dissuade his partner from that and come up with something that has a prayer of suceeding.  
For the moment, Snart uses the time alone to rest and focus on not throwing up.

 

The pain in Snart's head has calmed down to a dull thudding. He's managed to get himself seated on the small, metal bench that was in his cell. The blood feels like it's stopped flowing, but the criminal doesn't bother to touch it. He has nothing to treat it with, so it's best to leave it alone.  
Snart reaches to the strong Bonds inside him, the ones from Lisa and Mick. Although he's miles and literal years away from his sister, his half of their Bond is still powerful enough to ease his mind. Mick's Bond gives him something to plot escape with.  
Though, the plans with his partner in mind tend to go towards the less clever routes and more ashes to the ground maneuvers.

It's impossible to tell how long Savage leaves him there, but he guesses it's been a few hours when new guards enter the room to take him somewhere else.  
They're rougher with him than they need to be, he isn't even putting up a fight, and the movements are reminding his stomach that it's still nauseous.  
"Hello," Vostok smiles at him when he enters. He's surprised she's there for a second, but the darker part of his mind reminds him that he was responsible for her losing her prize. She didn't want him, she wanted Stein and since he got away, well, a little revenge never hurt anyone.  
His Bond with her feels shallow and he only has himself to blame for that.  
"You come down here just to see me?" Snart smiles, the guards have removed his parka and sweater. Both men are wearing gloves, so there's no Bond connection.  
They shackle Snart's arms above his head.  
"I hope your head is clear enough for questions," Vostok says softly, a knife in her hand.  
Torture time already?  
"Not sure if you Russians know this," he says, voice cold and hard, "But dead people don't talk."  
She chuckles, putting the blade just inside his undershirt, "Who said anything about killing you?"  
Slowly, she uses the blade to cut his undershirt open.  
"We'll start with something easy," she puts the blade down so she can start placing electrodes to his bare chest, "What are the names of your fellow crew members?"  
The skin-to-skin contact is Bonding them again, but the Russian woman doesn't appear to notice. What the heck was going on with Snart?  
Might as well play the un-helpful captive.  
"Oh," Snart pretends to think about it, "Let's see: there's Arthur, our Captain; Dominic, my partner; Ciara, you killed her boyfriend; Caity, she likes to hurt people so watch out for her; Brandon, he isn't really a threat; and then there's just Victor and Franz."  
Vostok frowns, disappointed but not surprised. She's finished with the electrodes.  
"Things will go easier for you if you cooperate," she warns, motioning to a guard to move closer to the generator.  
Like I'm going to help a maniac's minion.  
"And here I thought you trusted me," Snart smirks.  
Vostok nods to the guard and Snart's screams echo throughout the prison.

 

Snart breathes heavily. His stomach had emptied after the first shock. The good news was that it ended up on a guard's shoe. That bad news was that it caused him to be given a painfully long shock.  
"How do you communicate with your ship?" Vostok asks, she sounds bored.  
"The ship and I aren't on speaking terms at the moment," he pants, "Do you have any suggestions on how to get on a bag of bolt's good side?"  
She sighs as he's shocked again.  
"What is wrong with your Bond?" Vostok tries next.  
"What's wrong with yours?" Snart counters with a laugh. "You're a genius but you can't find the one person you're supposed to be with?"  
"I thought that was YOU!" the woman shouts, averting her eyes when the guards jump. "Back at the ballet, I thought I felt something."  
"I get that a lot," he smirks. He's actually worried. What if they figure out about the Infinite-Bond? What if they tried to experiment on him to weaponize it?  
After all, that's what crazy foreign scientists did, right?  
Snart curses inwardly. He was starting to think like Raymond.  
Vostok rests her palm against Snart's chest. She stares into his eyes, searching for something. Snart closes the door to his Bond. It hadn't helped him before and he isn't about to expose himself now.  
"You are not Bonded," Vostok says aloud. It's a statement, not a question. "You are also not Broken and definitely not Shattered. And yet."  
The scientist narrows her eyes, "And yet I do not think that you are UnBonded."  
"Us Multi's can be persnickety," Snart offers, eyes staring the other down.  
"No," Vostok shakes her head. "You are not Multi-Bonded either."  
"Then what am I?" he challenged, a last ditch bluff. "A magical unicorn?"  
Vostok pulls her hand back, eyes still searching for something she can't seem to find in Snart's eyes.  
"Maybe some time to yourself will help," she motions to the guards who step up to release him. Snart doesn't bother replying. He's actually grateful for the break, however brief it might end up being.  
Physical pain on top of the emotional chance that he'd just been made were taking a toll on his body.  
The guards drag the criminal back to the cell and drop him there. They throw his clothes on top of him, locking the doors again before leaving.

Snart lays on the ground, letting the cold feeling ease the pain in his chest. His breathing eventually evens out to something a little less breathless. He doesn't move. Doesn't even pull the clothes on that are on his back.  
He just lays there and lets the darkness on the edges of his vision swallow him whole.

 

When Snart wakes up again, he knows he's somewhere else. There are different Bonds around him and the surface he was laying on had changed.  
He cracks an eye open and sees that he's on a hospital bed. He's still shirtless, but his bare chest is bandaged now. There are men and women in lab coats rushing around the room like there's a great big to-do.  
Snart lightly pulls on his arms and legs. They're strapped down like he thought they would be and the movement makes him also realize there's an IV in him.  
"An Infinite-Bond," Savage's voice sings.  
It felt as if ice water was being poured onto Snart.  
"I had heard legends of such a thing," the maniac continues, even though Snart still has his eyes closed. "but even in my long lifetime I had never come across someone with such a gift."  
It didn't really feel much like a gift at the moment.  
More like a death sentence.

Snart opens his eyes to glare at the man smiling at him at the foot of the bed.  
He'd strangle the man, immortality or not, if only he could use his hands.  
"I remember you," Savage shakes his head in amazement. "At the auction, with your friends, you were playing leader that day. Correct?"  
It wasn't his finest moment.  
"Not very talkative, are you?" the maniac's smile finally turns the other direction. "That's a pity, because I have so many questions."  
"And why would I answer any of them?" Snart drawls, the cool confidence of the tone ebbing some of the dread away.  
"He speaks!" Savage claps his hands once. "You and I could be such good friends."  
Yeah, like that would ever happen. No thanks.  
"As you mentioned before," Snart drawls again, adding a touch more sarcasm as he narrows his eyes. "I already have friends."  
The psycho steps around the end of the bed so he can be right next to Snart. He leans down to whisper in the criminal's ear, "But they're not here now."  
Savage pulls back, large smile back in place, "You'll find pointless bravado will do you no good. You are a very smart man. I can tell." The murderer shrugs, "Do the smart thing."  
Snart relaxes into the thin cushion of the medical bed, forcing his tense muscles to loosen as he smirks at the psycho, "I'll pass."  
Savage's smile drops, his eyes narrow as his expression darkens.  
"Then I suppose I will have the pleasure of taking you apart."

 

A masked man in a lab coat approaches Snart with a needle.  
The criminal glares at him and enjoys the startled look he gets when the Coat locks eyes with him.  
It doesn't stop him from taking a sample of Snart's blood.

"How does it work?" Savage is still there, trying to ease Snart into talking by faking friendliness. "Do you feel other Bonds like a regular Bond-Mate? Can you trace where UnBonded Bond-Mates are? Who they are? Can you change or affect how others Bond?"  
The maniac apparently didn't understand. There's nothing he could possibly say to, or offer, Snart to get him to talk about the one thing he hardly ever talked about.  
It was bad enough Savage knew Snart had the Infinite-Bond.  
Snart wasn't about to tell him a dang thing about it.

Savage sighs, "I suppose it would be best to let the experts do their work."  
Vostok walks up to Snart on cue and smiles down at the criminal, "Hello again."  
It's not a pleasant greeting. Snart can feel the manic glee that Savage had in abundance being mirrored by the Russian scientist.  
She was going to make him pay for playing with her emotions.  
'A woman scorned' and all that.  
He still didn't know how she just shrugged off their Bond and was so willing to kill him. Maybe she loved her science more than anything else.  
Or after she found out he wasn't her Bond-Mate she acted like any other girl would.  
She tried to kill the man who lied to her.  
Lisa would know.

Savage leaves the lab to do whatever it is supervillains did on their off time.  
Vostok takes Snart's hand with her rubber gloved ones and turns it as if she can see the invisible Bond Mark.  
"You have special powers to see the invisible?" Snart asks. He feels helpless and exposed. Two of his most hated things. Talking helps to put his mind off it.  
"Did you know," the Russian smiles at the back of the hand, tracing where she thinks the infinity symbol is. "There is a scientist from Prague who's been working on a light that can reveal a Bond-Mate's Mark?"  
Great. Another scientific 'marvel' that the bad guys can use for their own twisted cause. The good guys could be such morons.  
"Really?" Snart's voice rumbles in his chest like he's laughing the word. "When does he expect to track down the leprechauns?"  
Vostok giggles, schooling her face when she realizes her outburst.  
Oh, so she still liked him after all. She was just trying to bottle it up.  
They at least had that in common.  
Snart opens their Bond again. He's already been exposed and it can only help to turn the Russian to his side. Maybe even convince her to let him go.  
"I really did watch the play," Snart tells her softly so only she can hear. "Just so you know."  
Vostok clears her throat, dropping his hand.  
"You were very thorough," the Russian clears her throat again. "When you go after someone, you take the time to appreciate what they like to draw then in."  
"That's called modern dating, sweetheart," Snart drawls with a small smile. "It's not so criminal where I come from."  
"Where is that?" Vostok turns accusing eyes to the criminal. "America? The future? The past? Space?"  
The amount of wonder the woman spoke with the last question...Snart can't stop the chuckle. Did she think he was an alien?  
"Listen here, you toad," the Russian isn't amused. She's angry at him for not answering. Or maybe because he laughed? "I will find out how you tick."  
"People have been trying to understand each other for years, Valentina," Snart pulls himself up as much as he can to get closer to her face. "I'm not afraid of you."  
She pushes back, into his space so they're a breath away, "You should be."  
Snart closes the gap and kisses her. The Bond soars again like it did on that chilly night that felt like years in the past.  
Vostok pulls back and slaps him hard across the cheek. Then storms out of the room.  
The criminal smirks, watching her go.  
A few of the lab coats stop to watch their fellow scientist storm out of the room while the rest pretend to focus on their work.

 

The Coats run a few more tests on Snart.  
They put some sort of electrodes on his head that map out his brain waves. They take more blood to run for who knows what. They check his reflexes, which is difficult since he's kept strapped down in the bed.  
Snart assumes it hours later when Vostok returns smiling, Savage following behind with his hands behind his back.  
Whatever they have planned won't be pleasant.  
"I brought you a little something," Savage pulls his hands forward to show Snart the green-colored liquid inside a syringe. "This will help you with your honesty problem."  
Truth serum. The standard tool for all villains.  
Snart's had experience with similar drugs int he past. He doubts it will compare with the one currently being handed to Vostok for administration, but he hopes it will be enough for him to be partially prepared.  
"If you choose to talk to us willingly," Vostok offers him, needle poised on Snart's skin, "I won't have to use this."  
Snart stares her down, "Do your worst."  
The Russian pushes the needle in, it pinches, then she depresses the plunger and the world hazes over instantly.  
Psychos always had the good stuff.

 

"Lenny," Lisa pushes on her brother's shoulder. "Wake up you slacker!"  
"Shut up," Snart pushes his sister's hand away. "What do you want?"  
"I want to talk to you about Bond-Mates," Lisa sits in the chair next to the one Snart's slumped in. "You are the only one out of the two of us who knows what a Bond feels like. Could you tell me about it?"  
"Lisa," Snart sighs, rubbing at his face but it doesn't help with the grogginess that's overwhelming him. "I'm too tired for this."  
"You're always too tired, Lenny," Lisa rolls her eyes. "Come on! You can tell your own sister."  
Snart heaves a heavy sigh, "Bonds aren't all the same, Lis. Each person has a different feeling Bond."  
"Oh?" Lisa's eyebrows shoot up. "How many different Bonds can you feel at once?"  
"Dunno," Snart shrugs. "I tend to avoid them. You know that."  
"Yeah," his sister runs a hand through her hair. "But do you completely Bond with them? I mean, how strong are your Bonds with other people?"  
Lisa has never pushed the subject before. Lisa knows how sensitive he is about the Infinite-Bond and they both wordlessly agreed not to bring it up.  
This person, the one looking at him with the same face as his sister, is not his sister.  
In fact, how could he even be here when he was supposed to be somewhere else?  
Some-when else?

Savage. Russians. Firestorm. Ballet. Vostok.  
Snart gasps, opening his eyes for real as he shakes away the dream state his enemies had him under.  
Vostok frowns deeply at him while Savage tries to grin triumphantly.  
"Nice try," Snart growls, his voice rough from the drugs. "Bad choice in interrogator."  
"No matter," Savage shrugs. "We got some useful information."  
"You got nothing," he smirks at the angry look the psycho's trying to hide. "You can't con a conman, Savage."  
The murderer grabs hold of Snart's hand and the criminal tries to jerk it away on reflex. The maniac's bare hand squeezes tightly against the criminal's and the new Bond sparks to life.  
"How interesting," Savage smiles widely, showing all his teeth. "This is what it feels like to shake hands with an Infinite-Bond?"  
"I hope you washed your mitts," Snart grinds out, pushing at the other's Shattered-Bond that's trying to warp his mind.  
Immortality was making Savage's Bond stronger than the average person's. Snart had never had contact with Kendra or Carter, but he wonders if they would feel the same if he had.  
Snart tightens his grip against the other man's as much as he can. Maybe if the madman loses circulation, he'll let go. Savage glares down at Snart as they grapple against each other, each trying to out-squeeze the other's hand. Then just as abruptly as he grabbed it, Savage rips his hand out of Snart's.  
The criminal resists slumping back in the bed.  
"I am impressed," the madman nods in approval. "Having someone like you on my team could help the cause."  
"You mean if I worked for you I might help you get Birdie to like you?" Snart smiles at the maniac's growl. "She ain't interested, psycho lover. Better to let go now."  
Savage's face is turning slightly red. Thanks to the other man forcing a Bond, Snart knows what he's saying is bothering him.  
He decides to keep pushing, "There are more fish in the sea, after all. Even Shattered maniacs like yourself. Maybe you can find yourself a nice crazy woman and the two of you can have your own crazy little family."  
Savage backhands him. The abuse makes Snart bite the inside of his cheek and blood trickles down the corner of his mouth.  
"Excuse me," Snart smirks. "I didn't know you bent both ways. I just assumed, since you were after the girl bird, but wait-"  
Savage hits him again, Snart wants to laugh, but he holds it back. He wasn't done talking yet.  
"Maybe you actually liked Carter?" Snart offers, smirks still in place. "The history books have it wrong, Savage? You want bird MAN?"  
Savage goes to hit him again, but Vostok takes his arm to stop him.  
"This is what he wants!" the Russian pleads with her employer. "If you beat him too much, he will be too weak to survive another session of serum."  
The maniac turns a withering glare to the Russian, pulling his arm out of her hold.  
"Make sure you keep pushing him," Savage orders. "Let me know the second he offers anything useful."  
Then the psycho leaves the room in a huff, pushing any Coat who accidently get in his way.

"Your boss has anger issues," Snart remarks. Vostok's shoulders sag as she turns wary eyes to the criminal.  
"Do you wish to die?" she asks, guarded but honestly curious.  
"Dying wasn't on my list of things to do, no," Snart drawls. He tilts his head slightly, considering the woman in front of him. "Do you want me to die?"  
Vostok's cheeks blush. Shaking her head she turns and leaves like her employer. At the door to where they're keeping him, the Russian turns back to glance at him one more time before sliding out the door.  
Snart's making progress. As long as Vostok doesn't shut him out again he might just get out of here.  
As he rests against the cushions again, Snart wonders if the others were even in the same Time Line. Maybe they decided to leave him behind.  
He is, after all, nothing more than a crook.

 

When Vostok comes back to the room, there's something different about her. Any and all progress Snart made with her had vanished, pushed behind the cool mask of scientific curiosity the woman was now sporting.  
"Some of your tests came back with interesting results," she tells him as another Coat brings her a bigger dose of the green drug. "I hope we can make better progress this time."  
"Fool me twice," Snart shrugs.  
Vostok stabs Snart with the needle and the world darkens before the plunger is completely depressed.

 

"Leo!" Lewis Snart smacks his son across the face. "What the heck is wrong with you?"  
Snart glares at his father. He pushes Lisa out the window so his sister can make a break for the neighbor's house.  
"Lisa!" the elder Snart pushes his son out of the way to bellow after the little girl. "Get your girly butt back in here!"  
"Leave her alone!" Snart rams into his father, pushing him away from the window. He shouts out, "Don't stop running Lisa!"  
"Idiot kid!" Lewis slaps his son again, then pushes himself back to his feet. "You and your annoying Bond! This is all your fault. Why couldn't you have a normal Bond? What is wrong with you?"  
"There's nothing wrong with me!" Snart stands strongly on his two feet. "You are the monster who pushed his own Bond-Mate out of his life!"  
"What do you know about Bonds?" his father sneers. "You don't even have the ability to Bond with anyone."  
"I can," Snart growls. "In fact, I have to suffer one with the likes of you!"  
Lewis laughs, "What makes you so special, Leo?"  
"My stupid-" Snart stops. His anger rages with his wildly beating heart as he stares at his father.  
His father.  
Lewis Snart.  
His father is dead.  
Snart killed him.  
Vostok.

Snart yells out of the second round of drug dreams.  
To turn his childhood against him was unforgivable. He glares daggers at the frightened Coats surrounding him as he tries to catch his breath.  
He's going to kill them all.  
He'll ice those looks of fear permanently on their faces.  
Mick better not have lost his gun.

"Bad choice again?" Vostok asks, expression forcefully blank.  
Snart turns his fury to the female scientist, "You'll pay for that."  
"I don't think so," the Russian shakes her head. "Your friends have abandoned you. There is no escape."  
"You think this has to do with them?" Snart barks, the pain and anger from his last experience making it hard to hold back. "I make my own decisions."  
"Yes, and they've proven to be foolish ones," Vostok drops her clipboard onto the bed. "You joined a grief-ridden captain as he attempts to change the future by altering the events of the past, even though he is inept in that task."  
Savage has told her a lot.  
"I agree." his answer shocks the woman. "Rip's an idiot. That's why it's up to me to make sure this mission is an actual sucess."  
"You are very confident in yourself." Vostok smirks.  
"No matter what," Snart's voice is back to his regular, calm tone. "you always have to look out for yourself."  
The Russian turns her eyes away, grabbing hold of the clipboard again.  
"I must do the same thing for myself." Vostok turns to one of the Coats, "Inform me if there's a change in his condition. We'll try the treatment again in a few hours."  
Vostok leaves and Snart closes his eyes.  
He's ready to be rescued now.

 

An alarm blasting loudly through the walls wakes Snart from his light slumber.  
The Coats start running around like the rats they probably experiment on.  
Vostok comes into the room with four armed guards and unhooks Snart from the IV so two of the muscle team can loosen Snart's restraints.  
"Hurry!" the scientist urges the men, who pull Snart from the bed and drag him out of the room.  
Vostok takes the lead as they stride down various hallways. Snart's legs feel like jelly at first, but they're beginning to gain strength as they pass scrambling Coats and guards. Snart can hear shouting from where they're headed. The alarm's still blaring and it's accompanied with flashing red lights.  
He feels like he's in the middle of a prison break.

 

When they open a door to the outside, Snart sees a flash of fire and a blonde head before the door's slammed closed again.  
Vostok spits a lovely stream of Russian curses as she leads them away from the door to another exit.  
"Something the matter, Valentina?" Snart drawls, feeling the woman's anxiety as her heads turns back and forth. She's searching for another exit.  
But the other 'Legends' are here.  
They actually came to save Snart.  
Well, what do you think of that?

"Gah!" Mick's voice shouts out from behind a door with bars. Snart can feel his partner's Bond and he tries to reach out to him as they pass the entrance.  
"If you let me go now," Snart lifts his voice as loudly as he can. "You might make it out of here without being harmed."  
Vostok glares at him for exactly three seconds before picking up the pace to the door at the end of the hall.  
The Atom is standing on the other side.  
Snart has never been glad to see Raymond.  
Until that moment.  
"Hey, there," the scientist smiles, then blasts one of the guards with his wrist weapon. Snart ducks down, trying to pull out of the other's grip, but another has already taken his place and is pulling the criminal to the left while the last one shuts the door in the hero's face.

Jax. Stein. Sara. Mick. Raymond.  
Let's see, that leaves Kendra and-  
"Doctor Vostok," Rip points his glowing pistol at the woman. "It appears you have a member of my crew in your midst."  
"Exactly," the woman fires at the captain. Rip's look of surprise dodges from the bullet in time, while the guards follow the scientist down another convenient door.  
This next hallway is dark. It takes a few moments for Snart's eyes to adjust but the guards haven't even slowed down. It must be an emergency exit for the higher ups. One that Vostok and these particular guards were familiar enough with not to falter.  
"Am I really worth all this?" Snart tries again. He's getting tired of being dragged around like someone's favorite toy they don't want to share. "It's not like I have anything amazing to offer you."  
"You are a scientific marvel," Vostok opens a door to the outside world. The light is brighter and blinds Snart's adjusted eyes. "Savage had left orders."  
Snart's not keen to learn what those orders entail.  
There's a covered truck waiting for them outside. Vostok goes to the cab while the guards drag Snart into the back and tie his arms tightly to the rail.  
The engine roars to life and Snart lets himself panic for a moment.  
Great job guys, you're letting the bad guys get away.

"Going somewhere Comi?" Mick shouts. Snart sags against the wall in relief.  
The truck flies backwards in escape and Snart holds onto the railing as he slides around in the back with the two guards.  
"Not so fast!" Jax announces. Snart can only see what the open end of the truck's tarp will allow, but Firestorm's flames are in easy view as they go towards the tires.  
The tires explode loudly and the truck tilts.  
Gee, thanks, kid. Get me killed why don't you?  
Mid-tilt, the truck jars to a stop. The guards go flying and one of them hits his head against the railing and falls unconscious. The other pulls his gun on Snart and watches the back of the truck for the enemy.  
"I can't hit a lady," Boy Scout's voice says sadly where the cab of the truck is.  
"I can!" Mick growls. His partner's words are punctuated with the sound of a blow and Snart registers pain from Vostok's Bond.  
Mick hit her. Good.  
Kendra, wings hidden away, pops her head into view. The guard shouts at her in Russian, pushing the weapon into Snart's cheek.  
"It's okay," Birdie smiles at Snart while she lifts her hands in surrender to the guard.  
The Russian isn't convinced. He jabs the gun into Snart's cheek as he continues to shout at the woman.  
The side of the tarp pulls up and Sara hits the guard in the head with her silver pole.  
The guard instantly drops.

"Took you long enough," Snart comments as Sara climbs in to cut his bindings. "What? You guys couldn't come up with a plan faster without me?"  
"Remind me again why we came to rescue this guy?" Birdie frowns, crossing her arms. "Maybe we should have left him with his own kind."  
"I'm not Russian," Snart counters, rubbing at his wrists after they're freed. He smiles at Sara, "Thanks."  
"We better get going," the assasin smirks at him, helping him to his feet. "Firestorm's holding back the guards, but there's not telling how long he can do that."  
"You okay there, Snart?" Mick asks as the criminal jumps from the back of the truck. The bandaged chest was worrying his partner.  
"Perfect," Snart ingores the worry and reasures his partner with a confident air.  
Raymond is reeking of guilt and Snart decides to help Sara hurry this little rescue mission along before Bright Eyes can start spilling his soul.  
"Lead the way, assassin," Snart directs with his hands for the blonde to take point. Sara smirks and takes off into the woods.  
Snart follows after, followed by Mick and Kendra, while Raymond takes the back.

 

They're almost at the ship. Jax waves at them while Stein smiles.  
Then there's a loud thud and Snart goes to ground on instinct.  
"What was that?" Bright Eyes asks, looking back as if he'd go see.  
"Let's ignore the mystery explosions for now," Sara orders, refocusing the team's attention. "We can ask Gideon on the ship."  
Sara once again pulls Snart to his feet, her calm Bond easing the criminal's suddenly erratic heartbeat.  
Get a hold of yourself, Snart.  
"Gideon," Stein asks once their safely on board the Time Ship. "What was that noise?"  
"Captain Hunter has set off a series of explosions to prevent the scientific furthering to make a Russian Firestorm," the AI informs him like it's obvious.  
"Where is the captain?" Snart asks, resting against the wall for strength since his legs were suddenly weak.  
"He is on his way back now," the AI chirps. "I recommend you come to the MedBay, Mr. Snart. You are appear to be suffering the ill affects of multiple drug doses."  
"Drugs?" Sara's brow furrows in worry.  
"What kind?" Mick asks.  
"The not fun kind, Mick," Snart drawls before the AI can say anything. "Nothing I couldn't handle."  
"Mick," Sara points to Snart's partner. "Get him to MedBay."  
Snart expects his partner to remark against the woman's tone, but he just grunts and starts pulling Snart down the hall.  
"I can do it myself," Snart growls, but Mick is much stronger than him and he doesn't let go.  
"I put your gun in your room," Mick tells him in a low grumble as he half carried him down the hallways. "I might have dented it."

His partner takes him to MedBay. Snart can feel Jax's Bond hiding just outside the door. The kid was worried about him.  
Snart just hoped the entire team wasn't going to mother hen him.

Gideon gives him something to flood the drugs out of his system.  
Snart tries not to, but he falls asleep.

 

When Snart wakes again, Jax and Mick's Bonds are gone. They've been replaced by the most annoying one on the ship.  
"You back in the land of the living?" Raymond says next to him. Snart opens his eyes. It takes a minute for his vision to clear before he can see Mr. Perfect standing next to him, hands held behind himself as he looks at Snart worriedly.  
Snart groans.  
"Are you in pain?" Boy Scout looks at something behind the criminal, probably a medical readout of some sort.  
"Raymond," Snart's throat is dry, "Why are you here?"  
"Why?" Ray looks at him like he isn't speaking English, "We just saved you from a Russian gulag. Where you were being held captive and drugged. I was making sure you were okay."  
"I'd be more okay if I had something to drink," Snart sighs, the headache that usually came on whenever the scientist was around already forming.  
"Oh, got it, here," Ray hands him a cup of water.  
"Thanks," Snart takes it, downing as quickly as he can.  
Snart hopes the man will leave as soon as he finishes the water, but he isn't so fortunate. After he gives the cup back, Raymond stays, standing there and staring at Snart's chest and looking like he needs to say something.  
"Spit it out, Raymond," Snart's voice makes the genius jump.  
"I'm sorry," Bright Eyes stutters, earning an eyebrow raise from Snart, "I'm sorry I left you behind. I'm sorry it took us so long to rescue you. I-"  
"Raymond," Snart bites out the name like a curse, effectively shutting the man up. Snart calms himself, "I told you to leave me and you did. End of story."  
"But-"  
"No buts, Raymond," Snart snaps, but there's no heat to it, just annoyance. He made the decision and he isn't about to feel sorry for himself about it.  
The scientists clamps his mouth shut. Snart relaxes in the silence.  
"You know, you're a lot braver than you want everyone else to know," the scientist interrupts the quiet again. Snart glares at him.  
"I don't know what you're talking about," he drawls, closing his eyes in an attempt to ignore the other man.  
For once, Raymond keeps his mouth closed. He places his hands in his pockets and slowly walks out of MedBay. Gideon lowers the lights and Snart falls back asleep.

 

\---


End file.
